**RELEASED** Improved Skies & Reflections

Marhkimov · 10-23-05, 08:48 PM

**EDIT*** October 25, 2005 - COMPATABILITY ISSUES HAVE SURFACED

Marhkimov's Enhanced Ocean Reflections & Sky Mod v1.0
credit also goes to Beery

RapidShare Here:
http://rapidshare.de/files/6722112/M..._v1.0.rar.html

And by request, I have made a LIGHT NIGHT version for those who use dark monitors, or for those who just want lighter-blue nights.
RapidShare Here:
http://rapidshare.de/files/6729890/M...T_mod.rar.html

Check for availability on www.u-boot.realsimulation.com

******************************
WHAT IT DOES?
******************************

1. In short, I have altered Beery's sky files in an attempt to make a nicer looking sun reflection on the sea. IMOH, the default reflections were a little too bright, and it made the water look white when viewed from directly underneath of the sun (it looked exactly like milk). So I believe I have adressed that issue quite nicely. Scroll down for screenshots.

2. I also took the liberty of smoothing out the sea and water textures so that everything looks smoother and more blended together.

3. Both mods have light blue nights, but the LIGHT NIGHT mod is noticeably lighter... Choose whichever floats your boat...

******************************
TO INSTALL
******************************

1. use JSGME

2. manually place the included files into the correct folder. DON'T FORGET TO MAKE BACKUPS!

******************************
COMPATIBILITY ISSUES -EDIT-
******************************

if you are using a visibilty fix (such as rulle34's, Manuel Ortega's, etc.), or if you are using IUB, the weather will not work correctly. From what i am hearing, you won't be able to see rain or fog (I don't know the exact side effects for sure, but I know they are weird).

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO ABOUT IT?

In the meantime, you can use a .DAT extractor and extract my tga's and insert them into the DAT's of the mod of your choice. That should work...
Here is a Dat Extractor if you need it: http://rapidshare.de/files/6715467/D...tract.rar.html. Then follow these steps:

1) Extract the TGA's from my DAT files. (the DatExtractor program has a built in readme, so use that to help you)

2) Then using my TGA's, insert those into the corresponding DAT files of your desired visibility mod (Rulle34's, M. Ortega's, etc.).

Done!

And as far as I know of, these files will not conflict or interfere with any other mod. I recommend that you install them on top of RUB, as they will work best.

However, if you have a 'basic' SH3 or a completely 'vanilla' SH3, you can still install this mod. There will be no problems.

And to anyone who has used timetraveller's color tool to change the underwater colors, this mod will not affect your changes. The underwater colors are controlled by seperate files.

Murkiness and visability are also unaffected by this mod.

AIL Sky mod will also work in conjunction with this mod.

******************************
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
******************************

-I think that realistic-enthusiasts, screenshot-takers, and scenery-enjoyers will all consider this mod to be a nice addition!!!

-This is just a simple texture fix, but IMOH it is very nice. It helps to give a good atmosphere to SH3.

******************************
EXTRA: TIPS FOR EXTRACTING
******************************

If you are a modder, feel free to extract and edit my textures. Just remember to ask permission before you release anything. And give credit where credit is due.

So, after you extract the TGA's, you can use any graphics editor to edit the textures. When you are done, remember that you MUST re-pack the files back inside of the DAT files, otherwise the sun reflections will not work correctly. In other words, just placing the TGA's into data\textures\tnormal\tex will NOT work.

Also, do not change the size of the textures. As of now, SH3 can only read 512x256 sky textures. Any other size of textures will not work correctly. If someone ever changes this, I have 2048x1024 textures ready and waiting

******************************
Some screenshots
******************************

Click here to view larger sizes...

Screenshots from the LIGHT NIGHT mod:

-Marhkimov

Kpt. Lehmann · 10-23-05, 09:43 PM

Great work Mahrkimov buddy!!!

Rubini · 10-23-05, 11:38 PM

marhkimov,

Great work. Some questions:

1.Any news on moon reflection?
2.I notice that your sun is smaller than mine. It's a mod or also your work? Or am i just imaginative? :hmm:

Rubini.

Reece · 10-23-05, 11:39 PM

Excellent work Marhkimov!

Now hurry up and complete it!

Just Kidding about hurrying up!

10-23-05, 11:46 PM

Looks like a good one for my mod folder.

10-23-05, 11:58 PM

Just great! I will use it for sure...

gdogghenrikson · 10-24-05, 12:29 AM

the pics look good...can't wait for the mod

Marhkimov · 10-24-05, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rubini

1.Any news on moon reflection?

Ah, sorry, I don't know what we can do about the moon.
In our SH3 community, you have your hex editors, ship modellers, realism purists, and action seekers... I can do some editing, but mostly I am just a simple textureman.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rubini

2.I notice that your sun is smaller than mine. It's a mod or also your work? Or am i just imaginative? :hmm:

The pictures have been resized from 1024x768 to 768x576. Rest assured, you are not imaginative... You have only been deceived.

Update for those who wish to know: I should be releasing the files within a few hours.

EDIT: On second thought, I might not release it so soon... with much help from Seeadler, we might be able to create a whole new sky that will fix multiple problems... Ya know, kill two birds with one stone.

Marhkimov · 10-24-05, 03:53 AM

On a similar topic: In SH3, has anyone ever actually seen the arctic skies???

I, for one, have never seen it. I have sailed to the arctic before, but the skies always look exactly like the atlantic. That leads me to believe that SH3 does not actively model the arctic sky. In the 'Env' folder, there are settings for the actic, but I don't think SH3 calls upon them.

Upon further investigation, I used notepad to view the single missions and found out that each of them have pre-determined sea settings. It turns out that all of them (with the exception of Malta, which uses the medit. sea settings) use atlantic sky/water. This is what I have discovered:

SeaType=0 (atlantic)

SeaType=80 (mediterranean)

SeaType=??? (arctic)

I'll also bet my money that 'SeaType' is not being modelled in campaign missions. Everywhere you go, the game models the atlantic SeaType... That is a real gamebreaker for anyone who is sailing in the mediterranean, home of the 29th flotilla... MY FLOTILLA...

So to recap, how do we get all of our seas/skies (atlantic, arctic, and mediterranean)???

Marhkimov · 10-24-05, 04:03 AM

Oh DUH!!! I'm such an idiot...

Look in the 'Env' folder, and you will find Env.cfg. It contains everything you would want to know. Here:

Quote:

[Environment]
SeaTypeImageDimX=4320
SeaTypeImageDimY=2160
LandIDX=255
DefaultSeaType=0
SeaTypesNo=1

[SeaInfo01]
StartDate=0101
EndDate=1231
SeaInfName=SeaInf.raw
Compressed=NO

[EnvColors]
SeaType00=EnvColors_Atl.dat
SeaType80=EnvColors_Med.dat
SeaType150=EnvColors_Arct.dat

[SkyColors]
SeaType00=SkyColors_Atl.dat
SeaType80=SkyColors_Med.dat
SeaType150=SkyColors_Arct.dat

OMG... DUH!

Seeadler · 10-24-05, 06:16 AM

SeaType are the grey values in the Sea???.raw file!
SeaType00 = black
SeaType80 = dark grey
SeaType150 = light grey
the *raw file can be opened in Photoshop to edit the grey values on the world map.

Marhkimov · 10-24-05, 06:46 AM

Yes, I noticed that too... Could we be onto something???

Oh, and I recently began a career mission in the mediterranean, and guess what? I was sailing in Atlantic waters. I was correct, the career missions do not support any settings other than atlantic.

But hold up, I have an idea...

Martin1813 · 10-24-05, 07:16 AM

I don't understand the mean of this mod, with all due respect for your work, marhkimov.

But the sun reflections should really shine bright, I think. It really blinds you if you look at it too long. That's why a lot of sailors wear sunglasses

Marhkimov · 10-24-05, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin1813

I don't understand the mean of this mod, with all due respect for your work, marhkimov.

Simply put, this mod aims at making a very nice water reflection. If you notice, the default reflections are waaaay too bright, and it makes the water look white when viewed from directly underneath of the sun (I don't have any screenshots yet). I also took the liberty of smoothing out the sea and water textures so that everything looks smoother and more blended together...

And even more simply put, any screenshot-taker or scenery-enjoyer should consider this mod to be a MUST HAVE!!!

*** Just the other day, I was browsing through the Screenshot thread in the General SH3 Forum, and I noticed that I could not find any decent pictures of u-boats *directly* in the sun... With my upcoming mod, people will produce more eye candy.

oRGy · 10-24-05, 08:41 AM

Good work markhimov. Though I might make the reflection maybe just a little brighter/wider. In real life, the reflections are much more 'intense' than the game engine can deliver, though.

Anyway, yes, it seems only single missions call upon the different colours for arctic/med, which is a real shame. Though maybe basic.cfg or wherever could define the sea state, and maybe SH3 commander could then set it depending on your home base. So if you're in La Spezia, you might get the right colours.

Unfortunately it won't change dynamically...

10-23-05, 08:48 PM	#1
Marhkimov Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bay Area, California, USA Posts: 2,377 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	RELEASED Improved Skies & Reflections EDIT* October 25, 2005 - COMPATABILITY ISSUES HAVE SURFACED Marhkimov's Enhanced Ocean Reflections & Sky Mod v1.0 credit also goes to Beery RapidShare Here: http://rapidshare.de/files/6722112/M..._v1.0.rar.html And by request, I have made a LIGHT NIGHT version for those who use dark monitors, or for those who just want lighter-blue nights. RapidShare Here: http://rapidshare.de/files/6729890/M...T_mod.rar.html Check for availability on www.u-boot.realsimulation.com **************************** WHAT IT DOES? ************************** 1. In short, I have altered Beery's sky files in an attempt to make a nicer looking sun reflection on the sea. IMOH, the default reflections were a little too bright, and it made the water look white when viewed from directly underneath of the sun (it looked exactly like milk). So I believe I have adressed that issue quite nicely. Scroll down for screenshots. 2. I also took the liberty of smoothing out the sea and water textures so that everything looks smoother and more blended together. 3. Both mods have light blue nights, but the LIGHT NIGHT mod is noticeably lighter... Choose whichever floats your boat... ************************** TO INSTALL ************************** 1. use JSGME 2. manually place the included files into the correct folder. DON'T FORGET TO MAKE BACKUPS! ************************** COMPATIBILITY ISSUES -EDIT- ************************** if you are using a visibilty fix (such as rulle34's, Manuel Ortega's, etc.), or if you are using IUB, the weather will not work correctly. From what i am hearing, you won't be able to see rain or fog (I don't know the exact side effects for sure, but I know they are weird). WHAT SHOULD YOU DO ABOUT IT? In the meantime, you can use a .DAT extractor and extract my tga's and insert them into the DAT's of the mod of your choice. That should work... Here is a Dat Extractor if you need it: http://rapidshare.de/files/6715467/D...tract.rar.html. Then follow these steps: 1) Extract the TGA's from my DAT files. (the DatExtractor program has a built in readme, so use that to help you) 2) Then using my TGA's, insert those into the corresponding DAT files of your desired visibility mod (Rulle34's, M. Ortega's, etc.). Done! And as far as I know of, these files will not conflict or interfere with any other mod. I recommend that you install them on top of RUB, as they will work best. However, if you have a 'basic' SH3 or a completely 'vanilla' SH3, you can still install this mod. There will be no problems. And to anyone who has used timetraveller's color tool to change the underwater colors, this mod will not affect your changes. The underwater colors are controlled by seperate files. Murkiness and visability are also unaffected by this mod. AIL Sky mod will also work in conjunction with this mod. ************************** ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ************************** -I think that realistic-enthusiasts, screenshot-takers, and scenery-enjoyers will all consider this mod to be a nice addition!!! -This is just a simple texture fix, but IMOH it is very nice. It helps to give a good atmosphere to SH3. ************************** EXTRA: TIPS FOR EXTRACTING ************************** If you are a modder, feel free to extract and edit my textures. Just remember to ask permission before you release anything. And give credit where credit is due. So, after you extract the TGA's, you can use any graphics editor to edit the textures. When you are done, remember that you MUST re-pack the files back inside of the DAT files, otherwise the sun reflections will not work correctly. In other words, just placing the TGA's into data\textures\tnormal\tex will NOT work. Also, do not change the size of the textures. As of now, SH3 can only read 512x256 sky textures. Any other size of textures will not work correctly. If someone ever changes this, I have 2048x1024 textures ready and waiting ************************** Some screenshots ************************** Click here to view larger sizes... Screenshots from the LIGHT NIGHT** mod: -Marhkimov __________________ It takes two to tango

10-23-05, 09:43 PM	#2
Kpt. Lehmann GWX Project Director Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The Republic of Texas Posts: 6,993 Downloads: 124 Uploads: 0	Great work Mahrkimov buddy!!! __________________ www.thegreywolves.com All you need is good men. - Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock

10-24-05, 12:29 AM	#7
gdogghenrikson Grey Wolf Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 978 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	the pics look good...can't wait for the mod __________________ And when you loose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown.

10-24-05, 03:53 AM	#9
Marhkimov Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bay Area, California, USA Posts: 2,377 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	On a similar topic: In SH3, has anyone ever actually seen the arctic skies??? I, for one, have never seen it. I have sailed to the arctic before, but the skies always look exactly like the atlantic. That leads me to believe that SH3 does not actively model the arctic sky. In the 'Env' folder, there are settings for the actic, but I don't think SH3 calls upon them. Upon further investigation, I used notepad to view the single missions and found out that each of them have pre-determined sea settings. It turns out that all of them (with the exception of Malta, which uses the medit. sea settings) use atlantic sky/water. This is what I have discovered: SeaType=0 (atlantic) SeaType=80 (mediterranean) SeaType=??? (arctic) I'll also bet my money that 'SeaType' is not being modelled in campaign missions. Everywhere you go, the game models the atlantic SeaType... That is a real gamebreaker for anyone who is sailing in the mediterranean, home of the 29th flotilla... MY FLOTILLA... So to recap, how do we get all of our seas/skies (atlantic, arctic, and mediterranean)??? __________________ It takes two to tango

10-24-05, 06:46 AM	#12
Marhkimov Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bay Area, California, USA Posts: 2,377 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Yes, I noticed that too... Could we be onto something??? Oh, and I recently began a career mission in the mediterranean, and guess what? I was sailing in Atlantic waters. I was correct, the career missions do not support any settings other than atlantic. But hold up, I have an idea... __________________ It takes two to tango

10-23-05, 11:38 PM	#3
Rubini Ocean Warrior Join Date: May 2005 Location: São Paulo Brazil Posts: 2,728 Downloads: 132 Uploads: 0	marhkimov, Great work. Some questions: 1.Any news on moon reflection? 2.I notice that your sun is smaller than mine. It's a mod or also your work? Or am i just imaginative? :hmm: Rubini.

10-23-05, 11:39 PM	#4
Reece CINC Pacific Fleet Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Down Under Posts: 34,696 Downloads: 171 Uploads: 0	Excellent work Marhkimov! Now hurry up and complete it! Just Kidding about hurrying up!

10-23-05, 11:46 PM	#5
Jotte Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Looks like a good one for my mod folder.

10-23-05, 11:58 PM	#6
Nippelspanner Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Just great! I will use it for sure...

10-24-05, 06:16 AM	#11
Seeadler Pacific Aces Dev Team Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Northern Germany Posts: 1,096 Downloads: 169 Uploads: 0	SeaType are the grey values in the Sea???.raw file! SeaType00 = black SeaType80 = dark grey SeaType150 = light grey the *raw file can be opened in Photoshop to edit the grey values on the world map.

10-24-05, 07:16 AM	#13
Martin1813 Torpedoman Join Date: May 2005 Location: Caen, France Posts: 111 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	I don't understand the mean of this mod, with all due respect for your work, marhkimov. But the sun reflections should really shine bright, I think. It really blinds you if you look at it too long. That's why a lot of sailors wear sunglasses __________________

10-24-05, 08:41 AM	#15
oRGy Crusty Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 648 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	Good work markhimov. Though I might make the reflection maybe just a little brighter/wider. In real life, the reflections are much more 'intense' than the game engine can deliver, though. Anyway, yes, it seems only single missions call upon the different colours for arctic/med, which is a real shame. Though maybe basic.cfg or wherever could define the sea state, and maybe SH3 commander could then set it depending on your home base. So if you're in La Spezia, you might get the right colours. Unfortunately it won't change dynamically...